UPDATE: June 23, 2021

Utility Ceases River Diversions in Response to Ongoing SW Drought

Because of the current drought and the associated decline in river flows, the Water Authority stopped diversions of surface water from the Rio Grande earlier this month. The curtailment likely will last until November, and the utility’s service area will rely exclusively on groundwater in the interim.

This week’s heat wave is a reminder that Bernalillo County and most of New Mexico remain in severe to exceptional drought,” said Steven Michael Quezada, Chair of the Water Authority governing board. He explained that flows of native Rio Grande water will therefore be too low in coming months to allow diversion of the utility’s imported San Juan-Chama surface water.